The BLues project 2018: freedom highway

Important Documents for Performers: Practice infoPractice Song order Musician Practice Calendar

1. Roll jordan Roll - TRADITIONAL (John Legend)

Chords/Lyrics: Roll Jordan Roll Audio: Roll Jordan Roll mp3Topic: Songs of Slavery When African slaves were brought to this country, many were encouraged to convert to Christianity. These slaves found a lot to like about this new religion, and as more and more converted, it became a centerpiece of the African-American culture. Masters would often give their slaves a break from work to praise and sing, and so, not surprisingly, slaves came to look forward to these times of worship. While the singing styles were the product of their African roots, the songs themselves celebrated their new faith. These songs were carried from times of worship to times of work, and slaves could be heard singing them while toiling away in the fields. Later, during the Civil Rights Movement, organizers dusted off these old spirituals and made them relevant to their fight for equality. Tell me about these spirituals - what they sounded like, how they developed, their importance, and why a new generation of civil rights activists in the 1950s and 60s dusted them off and re-purposed them for their cause. ​Links: https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200197495/

2. how long - Bobby Rush

Chords/Lyrics:How Long - E Audio: How Long - Bobby Rush mp3Topic: 40 Acres and a Mule...Sharecropping and the Blues After legal slavery ended, African Americans were hopeful, that in return for their centuries of enslavement, they would receive "40 acres and a mule." What was that promise and why was it never delivered? Without additional skills, education, or property, most former slaves still lived under a form of economic enslavement called sharecropping. Economically, they were often still tied to southern planters, and socially, they still faced racism and legal prejudice. The blues is sometimes called "sharecropping music," because it was often sharecroppers who were playing it and feeling it. Where once there were hundreds of slaves working and singing together on Delta plantation, now those same slaves were working on the same plantations, but working individually on their own plot of land. The songs, like the work, became more individualized; instead of many voices singing together, the same spirituals, work songs, and field-hollers were now often heard being sung or played by a lone sharecropper. Tell us how the sharecropping system worked, and why most workers felt like it was little to no improvement over slavery.Links: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/the-truth-behind-40-acres-and-a-mule/

3. Judge Harsh Blues - Furry Lewis

Chords/Lyrics: Judge Harsh Blues Audio: Judge Harsh Blues mp3Topic: Black Justice Today, many African Americans complain that the criminal justice system is unfairly biased towards black males. This is hardly a new accusation. After emancipation, many black males were arrested with little or no evidence so they could be leased out to southern farmers to work on cotton plantations. In other places, states ran for-profit prisons, like Parchman Farm in Mississippi, that used prisoners to work their massive state-owned plantations. When workers were needed, a few extra arrests were made. Tell me more about the criminal justice system in the United States in the years after emancipation and how it effected African Americans. Be sure to explain the different ways (chain gangs, convict leasing, prison farms, etc.) that the criminal justice system was used to re-enslave African Americans in the south. ​Links: http://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/themes/​http://theconversation.com/exploiting-black-labor-after-the-abolition-of-slavery-72482

4. Get Back - Big Bill Broonzy

Chords/Lyrics:Get Back - GAudio: Get Back mp3Topic: Jim Crow In addition to limited economic opportunities, many southern states used the legal system to keep African- Americans down. At first, southern states passed laws known as the "Black Codes" to achieve this purpose. Later, "Jim Crow" laws took their place, separating whites and black in all aspects of life, and essentially making black Americans second-class citizens. Tell me about life for African Americans in the pre-WWII south - the sharecropping system, Jim Crow laws, and the racism and violence that was part of everyday life. Links: Jim Crow reading ​

5. Ride on red - Louisiana Red

Chords/Lyrics:Ride on RedAudio: Ride on Red mp3Topic: The Great Migration Between 1910-1960 millions of African-Americans abandoned the hard life, poor wages, and persecution of the South, and traveled up to northern cities like Chicago, Detroit, and New York, attempting to make a better life for themselves. They had had enough of the "Jim Crow" south, and instead of suffering more pain and hardship trying to change southern laws and attitudes, they simply left it behind and moved North. Tell us more about the Great Migration. Why did it happen? Why is it significant? Did these migrants find what they were looking for? What did civil rights activists think of these blacks who chose to leave instead of staying and fighting for equality? ​​Links: http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues-trail-markers/chicago​https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Migration

7. alabama bus - Brother Will Hariston

Chords/Lyrics:Alabama Bus Audio: Brother Will Harston - Alabama Bus mp3Topic: Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus and inspired a bus boycott in Montgomery. She became an inspiration to many black Americans and an important symbol for the Civil Rights movement. She continued to work for equality for African-Americans for the rest of her life and was honored many times over for her courage and dedication to the cause. Tell us about this important event and what it meant to America. Be sure to also cover the life and work of Rosa Parks after the 1955 bus incident. ​​Links: http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott

9. I'm On My Way (to freedom land) - Traditional (Barbara Dane)

Chords/Lyrics: On My Way to Freedom Land Audio: On My Way to Freedom Land mp3Topic: Sit ins - Greensboro NCIn 1960, 4 black college freshmen entered a Woolworth’s five-and-dime store in Greensboro, North Carolina. They bought some items from a segregated area of the store, but when they sat down at the lunch counter in another part of the store, they were refused service. They sat at the counter until the store closed, and the next day, even more students showed up to sit at the counter as well. Explain what this sit-in meant to the civil rights movement, what came of it, and how the courage of these students inspired black Americans across the country. ​​Links: http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/the-greensboro-sit-in​

11. keep your eyes on the prize - Traditional (joss Stone)

Chords/Lyrics:Keep Your Eyes on the Prize - E Audio: Keep Your Eyes on the mp3Topic: James Meredith A very successful and intelligent black student, James Meredith applied to attend the University of Mississippi in 1961. The state school denied his application, and he sued the state of Mississippi arguing that his application was denied solely because of his race. After a bitter legal fight, James Meredith was allowed to attend, becoming the first African-American to attend the University of Mississippi. Tell us about this historic event, what it finally took to get Meredith in the door, and how James Meredith propelled the Civil Rights Movement forward. ​Links: http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/ole-miss-integration​

12. I wish i knew how it would feel to be free - Nina Simone

Chords/Lyrics:I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to Be Free - C Audio: I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to Be Free mp3Topic: March on Washington For Jobs and Freedom On August 28th 1963, an estimated 250,000 Americans converged on Washington DC to participate in the largest public Civil Rights demonstration in US history. 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, African-Americans met in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial to unite for equal political and economic treatment, hoping to encourage lawmakers to support president Kennedy's Civil Rights legislation. In addition to Martin Luther King (who delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech), many other important civil rights leaders, celebrities and musicians attended the event. Outline the who, what, where, when, and why of the March on Washington, and be sure to talk about the impact of the day and the role that music played in the event. Links:https://www.nps.gov/articles/march-on-washington.htm

13. Alabama Song - JB Lenoir

Chords/Lyrics: Alabama Song Audio: Alabama Song mp3Topic: Church Bombing in Birmingham, ALOn Sunday morning, September 15, 1963, the Klu Klux Klan exploded a bomb in the basement of the 16th Street Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing 4 girls while injuring over twenty more. Tell us about this incident - the culture of bombing in Birmingham, why was this church was targeted, what happened to the bombers, and what did this event lead to? ​​Links: https://www.nps.gov/articles/16thstreetbaptist.htm

14. A Change is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

Chords/Lyrics:Change is Gonna Come - G Audio: Change is Gonna Come mp3Change is Gonna Come - G mp3Topic: Civil Rights Act of 1964Before President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, he pushed for the passage of a Civil Rights bill to protect the rights of minorities, including African-Americans and end legal segregation and discrimination in the United States. Unfortunately, the bill was stalled in Congress by southerners, and JFK was killed before he could get the bill pushed through. His successor, Lyndon Johnson was a skilled politician and was able to use his connections in Congress to get the Civil Rights bill passed and signed into law. Certainly, this law did not fully end discrimination and oppression of African-Americans, and in following years, more laws were passed (and continue to be passed) to assure minorities would be protected under national law. However, it was the most important Civil Rights legislation to date, a major political accomplishment and went a long way in giving equality to all Americans, regardless of their race, sex, or religion. Now, in 2014, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. Tell us about the passage of this landmark piece of legislation, what it did, and what it meant to the Civil Rights Movement.​​Links: https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=97

15. This May be the Last Time - Traditional (Blind Boys of ALabama)

Chords/Lyrics:This May Be the Last Time Audio: This May Be the Last Time mp3Topic: Freedom Summer 1964In the summer of 1964, groups of young Americans, white and black, traveled to Mississippi to try and register as many African-Americans as possible to vote. Throughout history, Mississippi had prevented blacks from voting based on all sorts of sneaky legal language and fine print. Freedom Riders and others, mostly organized by SNCC, attempted to end this practice and help Mississippi’s black population to understand their right to vote and the importance of it. As white Mississippians feared losing their political control, violence was often used to discourage these suffrage efforts. In June, 3 Civil Rights workers were found dead in the Mississippi River, murdered by southern white supremacists. Tell us about Freedom Summer, if the effort was successful, the Freedom Summer Murders, and how it affected the course of the Civil Rights Movement. ​​Links: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/freedomsummer/​

16. freedom highway - The Staple SIngers

Chords/Lyrics:Freedom HighwayAudio: Freedom Highway mp3Topic: March From Selma to Montgomery On March 7th, 1965 approximately 600 Civil Rights activists marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Alabama Governor, George Wallace, vowed to stop the marchers, calling them a threat to public safety and unleashed police officers armed with nightsticks, teargas, and attack dogs to stop these marchers. TV cameras captured the police beating back the marchers and images of police brutality were broadcasted over the country. Tell me about this event, which came to be known as “Bloody Sunday,” the role music played in the march, and its affect on the Civil Rights Movement. ​​Links: http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/selma-montgomery-march

18. Think - Aretha Franklin

Chords/Lyrics: Think Horn Charts: Think (Bb) - trumpetThink (Bb) - tromboneThink (Bb) - alto saxAudio: Think mp3Topic: Thurgood Marshall Even after many legal steps were made to level the playing field for blacks in this country, African-Americans still fought on a personal level for the respect they deserved from their fellow man. When Thurgood Marshall was appointed and confirmed to the US Supreme Court in 1967, major strides were made to achieve that respect. Marshall had a long history of legal victories in the fight for Civil Rights, and when he was appointed to the Supreme Court, he became the first African-American justice. Tell us about Thurgood Marshall, how he fought for Civil Rights, and his legacy in the Civil Rights movement. ​​Links: https://www.biography.com/people/thurgood-marshall-9400241

20. We shall overcome - traditional (Bruce Springsteen)

Chords/Lyrics:We Shall Overcome Audio: We Shall Overcome mp3Topic: Civil Rights Act of 1968 The Fair Housing Act of 1968 was passed by Congress in the days following the death of Martin Luther King Jr., and it is often thought of as the last chapter in the Civil Rights Movement. Equal opportunity in housing was a cause that was near and dear to the heart of Dr. King, and the passage of this law was undoubtedly a result of the hard work and perseverance of this great man. Talk bout this law. Why was it needed? How did it come about? What did it say? What was its impact? ​Links: http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/fair-hosusing-act

21. Stand up for something - andra Day

Chords/Lyrics: Stand Up for Something Audio: Stand Up for Something mp3Topic: Civil Rights Today In 2018, we are 50 years removed from the Civil Rights movement, but we are far from achieving complete equality here in the United States. In recent years we have see African Americans taking a stand on the football field as well as in the streets of Ferguson, Charlottesville, and other cities across the country. What issues are behind some of the recent unrest in the African-Americans community? Do you see any similarities to problems they have faced in the past? How should we move forward as a nation to achieve Martin Luther King’s dream? ​​Links: